In a two room trailer down by the tracks on the edge of a Tennessee town
Jesse Clay lived with his lady and a one eyed Redbone hound
And every night at 12:05 he'd hear that whistle whine
And Jesse knew the train from Chattanooga was comin' by on time

And we all knew old Jesse Clay got mean when he drank too much
And Jesse's lady wore the scars of his not too gentle touch
And Jesse knocked her down one night just for bustin' a bottle of gin
She hit her head when she hit the floor and she never got up again

Now Jesse Clay was crazy scared when he saw her lyin' still
He took his lady in his arms and he carried her up the hill
He's laid her down on a railroad track just an hour ahead of the train
And Jesse knew that soon the 12:05 would take the blame

And then he went to town and he waited around till he thought the time was right
And he told the law how the 12:05 had taken his lady's life
The sheriff just looked at Jesse hard, said you better tell the truth this time
Because the 12:05 just jumped the track about 10 miles up the line

And no one knows what caused the train to leave the tracks that night
It never happened before or since but it served old Jesse right
You can still hear the train whistle whine as it passes by this way
But the 12:05 won't ever take the blame for Jesse Clay
No, the 12:05 won't ever take the blame for Jesse Clay